Over the past several weeks I have had the opportunity to speak with several potential clients. One of the standard questions I always ask someone is what they do with their leads. Not surprisingly, I often get one of the following answers:
1. What leads? Anytime someone contacts you but has not yet done business with you their information is a lead. In other words, you have the right (unless they have said otherwise) to contact them & stay in touch until they are ready to buy. Keep these leads in a file of some sort whether it be electronic or on paper in a file drawer somewhere labeled "leads" - just KEEP them somehow.
2. I threw them out. Ouch. Leads (treated well) are your next customers. Never purge your files. If you've been in business for several years, chances are you will have a nice supply of lead contact information. This information can range from simply a phone number, to an email address, or just a mailing address. Keep them & keep in touch with them - somehow!
3. Quickbooks is my database. While not technically a lead, old customer files should ALWAYS be kept. Never purge your Quickbooks files without printing them out & storing them in a file folder somewhere - again marked "leads". Someone that purchased from you once is likely to purchase from you again provided all went well during their first experience with your company.
The overarching lesson here is that leads should become part of your ongoing marketing. On average, it takes 3-5 "touches" for a consumer to make a purhase decision. That number moves to 9 or 10 for a business purchase decision. Taking into account the economy, the number of touches may now be higher. Treating your leads right & staying in touch with them is the key to growing your customer base.
Bottom line: Leads are your next customers!
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